Transport bosses are set to splash £1.8 million on Cambridge’s first segregated on-road cycle lanes, including ‘floating’ bus stops, after they were backed in a consultation.

The stops, which would force passengers to cross the bike lane to catch the bus from an ‘island’, were the most controversial parts of the schemes for Huntingdon Road and Hills Road.

The proposals were criticised by disability groups, who feared collisions with cyclists, and were branded “absolutely ludicrous” by the managing director of bus operator Stagecoach Cambridgeshire.

In response, the county council now proposes to give pedestrians priority over cyclists at the floating stops, and to locate the bus shelter on the island where possible.

In total, nearly 1,700 people responded to the consultations, backing the floating bus stops by 60 per cent to 28 per cent in Huntingdon Road, and by 58 per cent to 29 per cent in Histon Road.

Many cyclists support the stops because they allow riders to continue their journeys without having to overtake buses or mix with other vehicles.

However, the consultation results showed opinion was even more divided at local level – with 44 per cent of residents in the Huntingdon Road area against the stops in their neighbourhood, compared to 41 per cent in favour. It was a similar story on Hills Road, with 45 per cent of Queen Edith’s residents against, and 44 per cent in favour.

The cycle lanes would run between Girton and Oxford Road on Huntingdon Road, and between Cherry Hinton Road and Long Road on Hills Road.

The consultation also asked people for their views on the schemes overall, with 74 per cent of people supporting the Huntingdon Road scheme, although support in Castle ward was lower at 67 per cent and it stood at 72 per cent among Girton respondents. The Hills Road scheme attracted 79 per cent support.

The other issue was to decide whether segregate the cycle lanes from the road using a kerb, offering the greatest feeling of safety, or by raising them above the level of the road, allowing emergency vehicles to pass more easily.

Council officers propose to use kerbs at the Girton end of Huntingdon Road, since it is wide and has relatively few junctions and accesses, and to use the raised option at the city end, where the number of accesses would require regular gaps in the kerb.

In Hills Road, the raised solution is proposed, because the street is a key access to Addenbrooke’s for ambulances, and this will allow vehicles to mount the cycleway if emergency vehicles need to get through.

The proposals, which are funded by the Government, will be considered by the council’s economy and environment committee on May 27.

If approved, work should start by next April.

Mike Davies, the team leader for cycling projects, said: “This is part of the council’s commitment to provide better cycling facilities to encourage more people to get on their bikes, whilst also maintaining traffic flow and maintaining pedestrian safety. Cycling not only improves health but reduces congestion and helps the economy.”